The present invention relates to a transportable press for a high condensability of radioactive or slightly contaminated waste material from nuclear power stations, which materials are condensed in a collective container with the matrix of the press into a condensed package by means of a stamp.
In operation of a nuclear power station there is a regular amount of radioactive contaminated waste material which must be removed from the plant under particular protective measures. This includes, for example, plastic foils as well as cleaning materials and the cloth of the operating personnel, their shoes, protective shoes and the like. These waste materials are collected in collective containers, whereby about 1,000 barrels are accumulated in a nuclear power station during a given year. In order to remove these waste materials with a possible economical effort, these filled collecting containers are condensed by means of a special press under a very high pressure of hitherto about 1.600 megapond (Mp). The condensed packages are collected in small numbers in other collecting containers which can then be hauled away.
Customarily, waste material is not condensed with such high pressures, because it requires a great effort. However, in the nuclear industry the expenses per end provision per unit volume are so high that it is profitable to operate with the above mentioned particularly high pressures, so as to obtain a very low volume of the above condensed waste material to be hauled away.
With respect to the considerable expenses incurred for removing radiation waste materials it is generally practicable to provide a number of nuclear power plants with one press which can be ordered on request and which is operated at the nuclear power station in question. The known press is provided with a horizontal matrix and a horizontal pressure stamp having a piston rod. This piston rod is mounted on a yoke which is connected with four cylinders. A counter pressure plate is provided adjustable in height at the end of the matrix for providing a counter pressure during the pressing operation. During the operation of this device, the container to be compressed is at first moved into the device, before starting the condensing operation, from above into a chamber which is located between the matrix and the stamp. Thereafter, the barrel or the container is fed into the matrix and is pushed against the counter pressure plate. The counter pressure plate is lifted after the pressing operation, so that the stamp can horizontally move out the condensed package. Such a press is of a considerable construction length. Hence, the known press is so large in its size that it can only be transported on special vehicles, like flat beds when hauling it on the roads to its destination. This is very expensive. Furthermore, expensive measures must be taken in order to protect the environment from radioactivity when moving the known press from one site to another, which may be caused by the press itself due to the contact with the waste materials. Therefore, the known press must be subjected to expensive cleansing before being moved and it is common to encompass the press which a sheath of plastic before moving.
A further constructive expense related to the known press is caused by the circumstance that it is provided with four piston roads which act on a common yoke.